Double my life
by Queen Happo
Summary: Yumichika and Ikkaku don't celebrate birthdays. Birthday fic. Shonen-ai.


Birthdays aren't special to Ikkaku and me. The birthday is just like any other day, except you get one year older. It doesn't change our appearance much nowadays either, so there's truly nothing special about it.

We don't give each other gifts. If we want something, we buy it when we have money. What would we give each other, anyway? I'd probably only get Ikkaku some sake, but wasting money on expensive alcohol would do nothing for a man only looking to get drunk.

If he were to give me a gift, I suppose flowers would do good. It's an ordinary present, beautiful and colorful. Though they die easily, they don't last. I don't want something dead to be the symbol of beauty.

I suppose a necklace, bracelet or ring would suffice. I'm looking for a change, anyway. I'm thinking of growing my hair out long again, and then I can't wear my fake collar anymore. So a necklace would do well.

I wonder why I even bother. Many years ago, Ikkaku suggested we stop celebrating our birthdays. It was troublesome to get me a gift, and he thought it was stupid to celebrate a day like it was special when you didn't even die on it.

Getting something on my birthday used to be my favourite event of the year. I doubt Ikkaku even remembers the date anymore. Then again, he might as well have forgotten his own.

Still, I wish I could be awarded with a "happy birthday". Just some acknowledgement from his side that it's been another year we've spent together. We met during my birthday, so one would think that's something to celebrate.

Ikkaku doesn't live in the past. He lives in the future, on the day he dies. He lives to die.

It's sad, but I can't possibly have anything against it. His careless and blunt ways of thinking is what attracted me to him to begin with.

"Yumichika", he calls. I have to pry away my glance from the beautiful reflection of the mirror, but if it's for Ikkaku I don't care.

"What is it, Ikkaku?" I ask. He comes into our living room.

"I'm going out with Iba-san tonight to drink", he replies. One could think it is because he can't remember my birthday, and that I should be sad. No one knows him the way I do, however, and I can tell he clearly does remember. He usually doesn't make sure it's okay with me first.

"Have fun", I say. He doesn't want to feel guilt, he might have figured out I would like to celebrate my birthday after all, so he's going to get himself stoned. Good for him.

"Ya don't wanna come along?" What a surprising question. Usually he doesn't think I belong in a bar. Mind you, I don't think so either (if we talk about his kind of bars).

"Not really."

"Come on Yumichika", he whines. He is using that quiet and almost deadly tone of his voice; it's highly erotic. I can never resist it, and he knows it.

"Let me change then", I give in like he knew I would. Ikkaku only ever changes clothes to something more comfortable like a loose yukata when we have a night home, both of us. Otherwise that styleless and ignorant fashion disaster only wears his shinigami uniform. Needless to say, I have more clothes than that.

I settle for a dark purple yukata with azure and wisteria colored flowers on, complete with a high collar. It's one of my better and more expensive ones; it is my birthday after all.

Ikkaku who has grown tired of waiting comments I'm looking good (of course) and grabs my hand to yank me with him. He seems to be in hurry, something unusual for a man not very aware of time at all, unless it's "a fight that lasted for ten minutes" or something in that fashion.

We half-run through the night, too fast for me to really see where we're heading. Maybe it is to a fight or something, like Ichigo has returned and has a duel with Ikkaku. That sounds likely.

We stop finally, in a garden. It's awfully close to the Kuchiki Estate, and the layout is the same.

"Ikkaku, are we in the Kuchiki Garden?" I ask. Not that I don't like it there; be it sunny or dark it's beautiful, but trespassing is forbidden.

Ikkaku turn to me with the grin he usually wears in fights; his most beautiful aspect.

"Captain Kuchiki is busy dealing with our lieutenant", he explains. "And the guards are put under shinten; they'll wake in two hours or so." We are in the middle of the garden, lightened by fireflies, right by the carp-less pond.

"Ikkaku…" I can't believe it, he actually planned something ahead.

"You know I'm not really into the whole birthday things", he says and I roll my eyes. But he still thought of me, and – "But today is special in another way." – okay, he didn't figure out I like my birthday.

"Because we met during this day?" I ask, keeping disappointment out. You can't expect him to be considerate all of a sudden, and that's fine, because otherwise he wouldn't be Ikkaku.

"More precisely, on this day 100 years ago." I never counted it, but now that he mentions it… We met when I was 47, and I turn 147 today…

I can't believe he remembered something like that when I didn't.

"So I wanted this day to be special, or at least the night." When did my lover turn romantic? No matter, it's my birthday, our 100 years anniversary, we're alone in the Kuchiki Garden, we only live for the moment our lips meet and we love it.

"Happy anniversary", I mumble when he grabs my waist.

"Happy birthday."


End file.
